what do you think guys about resigning bynum to a maximum contract extension now or before start of the season?

i heard that his agent is asking for a max contract, should we give it to him? considering he is coming from an injury and he is still young and not in his peak form...coz if we dont, he might bolt against us next season and it will be a great loss for us...

As long as he shows promise in camp. I think they have until October 31st to make the offer. That should give them plenty of time to assess the situation. I hope he gets it. He's a good kid, and we all know what he can do on the court.

I want so badly for Andrew to be the next dominant Lakers center... so we can all take Shaq off that pedestal.

I'm one of the biggest Bynum fans around, but it is simply horrible business to offer a max contract to a young player who hasn't shown he is worth the maximum. It is one thing to believe in your prospect, but it is another thing entirely when his season was derailed by the Achilles Heel of all basketball players -- the knee injury.

The only reason to sign Bynum to an extension right now is if you believe he'll be a max player in the future (I do). This way, you get a player at a bargain. The NBA is not only about getting the right guys (see 2000s, Suns), but also getting them at the right prices (see Dynasty, SAS). If you don't, you're team breaks apart quickly and you cannot add the pieces you need to get over the hump.

Because Bynum will accept nothing less than the max (assuming that's true), you must wait as long as possible to give it to him. By doing this, you have more knowledge of your player and you may avoid a franchise crippling mistake. In the event he proves he is NOT a max player, you can still keep your guy, but at a realistic price.

I know there are concerns that this approach may piss a player off and cause them to leave (see Davis, Baron), but the saving grace here is that if he truly proves he is a max player, we can pay him MORE than any other team can because of the Larry Bird Rules. We can give him the 6 year contract while other teams can only offer 5, we can give him the 10.5% raises while other teams can only give 8% yearly, and we can flat out PAY HIM MORE MONEY. If it's all about the money, which it somewhat is when you claim nothing but the maximum suffices, and we can give him the most money, as well as the other perks of being in L.A., we still get our guy in the end even if we annoyed him a little in the process.

Great centers are a rare bunch and Bynum has shown alot of potential that he can be one of the greatest, to the Lakers that is more than enough to give him the max. I'd hate to see Bynum wearing any other color besides Purple and Gold 'cause we wanted to be patient.

Great centers are a rare bunch and Bynum has shown alot of potential that he can be one of the greatest, to the Lakers that is more than enough to give him the max. I'd hate to see Bynum wearing any other color besides Purple and Gold 'cause we wanted to be patient.

If money is what he's after we can pay him more than anyone else due to the Larry Bird rules: more money, one more year, and higher % raises.

There is no reason not to take our time which is exactly what Mitch is doing at the moment.

Lakers center Andrew Bynum was in Los Angeles earlier this week, working for the Lakers team doctors and was cleared for everything, according to his agent David Lee.

Bynum is now down in Atlanta working out with his personal trainer. The Lakers, Lee said, have a standing invitation to drop in on Bynum down in Atlanta and see his progress.

"He's absolutely fine, he's going to come in as a beast," Lee said. "He's got no atrophy anywhere. The kid's in great shape. Maybe it comes with being 20 years of age."

As for the negotiations on Bynum's contract status, Lee said that the discussions have been tabled until September.

"We aren't going to talk again until September until they have a chance to see what they're getting," Lee said.

"But I don't have any concerns about it." Lee said that once negotiations begin, it was "very important" that the extension be completed by the time the season starts. Lee will be seeking a max (five year, $80 million) extension for his young center. "I know what we want, I know what the rest of the league thinks of Andrew. I just hope the Lakers are on the same page," Lee said.

Yeeeeah... and from what the trainer said his his absolutely fine. Theirs no reason for him to lie about that? Am sure the Lakers know what their getting themselves into. I mean, their not going to give the guy the max 'til they know 100% sure that he has the potential to be the beast this trainer said. However, the Lakers are willing to take chances on this kid. I wouldn't put it pass the Lakers if they offered him a contract on the spot.

Yeeeeah... and from what the trainer said his his absolutely fine. Theirs no reason for him to lie about that?

That was his agent speaking and he has every reason to lie about it.

Am sure the Lakers know what their getting themselves into. I mean, their not going to give the guy the max 'til they know 100% sure that he has the potential to be the beast this trainer said.

Oh, I absolutely agree. In order to find out what exactly they are getting themselves into, though, they need to see him in L.A. after he finishes his summer workouts. From there, they will test him and that MIGHT give them the information they need to make a final decision.

However, the Lakers are willing to take chances on this kid. I wouldn't put it pass the Lakers if they offered him a contract on the spot.

That's not the Lakers front office I know. They are extremely, extremely patient. Kobe demands something happen immediately? What do they do? Nothing. The team was sinking for two years, do they make a panic move? Nope. Sasha is a RFA. Do they immediately push their offer onto him? Nope. They waited.

I'd be absolutely shocked if the Lakers immediately threw down the max because that is not their MO and it makes more sense to work him out, test the knee, and see his summer improvements first. The more knowledge they have going into the situation the better. Even if they wait some, they are in no danger. They can simply pay him way more money than anyone else.

Yeah, I saw that comment from Bynum's agent previously. It's a good sign. Let's don't rush into anything. Let's see how he looks on the court and worst case scenarios: he gets hurt and is injury-riddled so we don't offer him max...or he is amazing and wants max...and we can provide him with "more" max than anyone else. I'm fine with waiting on this one.

Yeah, I saw that comment from Bynum's agent previously. It's a good sign. Let's don't rush into anything. Let's see how he looks on the court and worst case scenarios: he gets hurt and is injury-riddled so we don't offer him max...or he is amazing and wants max...and we can provide him with "more" max than anyone else. I'm fine with waiting on this one.

Oh, am fine with the waiting... the thing is, am not sure if the Lakers can risk waiting on it. I just believe the Lakers should sign him before he can get any other offers from other teams. That scares me.

Yup, I'd much rather lock up Andrew Bynum with the Lakers before any of the other teams make a move that could potentially take him away from us. Quality centers are hard to find in the league, but I wouldn't throw a max contract around if I were the Lakers. However, the FO has proven that they can make the right choice at the right time no matter how long it may take them. I'll put my faith in them to keep Bynum after they assess what he can do after the knee injury.

Oh, am fine with the waiting... the thing is, am not sure if the Lakers can risk waiting on it. I just believe the Lakers should sign him before he can get any other offers from other teams. That scares me.

The good thing here, is that he'll be an RFA, so anything anyone offers him, that he accepts, we can simply match and he's our player.

Andrew Bynum is the future of this team. At the end of the day, Kobe is not going to be an All-Star forever and Pau will eventually die out even though he has more life. Bynum is the guy who could be the face of this franchise for the next 10 years. Kind of like Kobe at the moment. I think it's important to put confidence in him, however, I believe a player should EARN their contract. If Bynum can give me a 70+ Game season with an average of 15-17PPG and 11 RPG, then I would give him the max with no worries at all.

Kurt Cobain - "Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are."

All we need to see is that he's healthy. When healthy, there is no doubt that he's a max player.

Considering that his injury ran months longer than expected, I don't think this is a minor issue. They should vigorously and thoroughly test his health before offering what could be, if he didn't pan out as expected, a franchise killing max contract.

That said, I also agree that his performance in limited minutes was absolutely exception. Based on what Bogut was paid, even Andrew's performance in the small 35 game sample that he played was worth near the maximum.